Black Licorice
by Elillierose
Summary: After years of struggling with her feelings for her coworker and friend, Nemuri (With a small and needed push from Hizashi) finally works up the courage to admit her feelings to Aizawa. Though, this is easier said than done, and when it comes down to it, someone else beats her to the punch. Written as the second place giveaway prize for my tumblr giveaway.


**Beta read by: SinikkavonWolperting and DragonRiderSayomi**

 **Sorry this took so long, but here is the second place prize for my tumblr giveaway. C: The prize was a 5k fic. I do giveaways every 100 followers, so if anyone wants to enter, feel free to head on over, I'm currently doing another.**

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The hero glanced up from her work, her gaze momentarily drifted from her papers long enough to catch a glimpse of the man. However, she didn't allow her watch to linger for long until it flitted back away before he had a chance to notice. What the hell was wrong with her? This was so unlike her. But, the more days that went by, the more she found herself struggling to even talk to Shota.

Taking a deep breath and tapping her pen against her desk, Nemuri sank down into her chair. She couldn't keep doing this...eventually he was going to figure something out. And, it wasn't as if she had been the most subtle about her feelings as of late. Maybe keeping it all bottled up was finally starting to catch up to her. She swiftly shook her head though. No, this was ridiculous; she was behaving like a schoolgirl. For crying out loud, she was a 30 year old woman, far too old to be worrying about little things like this.

With that in mind, she forced herself to get back to grading the tests. But, Nemuri could hardly concentrate on them, not when the man was just a few feet away. She pursed her lips in concentration. 'Just don't think about it,' she told herself, hoping her brain would listen to her pleas for once. It was no good; again, she was looking in his direction, and she was so damn thankful he had yet to notice a single thing. She wasn't sure what she'd do if that were to happen. Though, if she kept up the way she was…

"Watcha lookin at?"

The woman jolted, nearly jumping out of her chair as the words caused her heart to skip more than a few beats in startlement. "Dammit, are you trying to give me a heart attack!?" she exclaimed, snatching her attention away to gaze at the blond hero.

The man merely shrugged casually. "Not my fault you're so easily distracted," he teased, nodding his head towards Shota. "So what, you still haven't said anything?" he asked as he leaned against her desk, shuffling a few papers in the process. He easily ignored the look of offense on her features as he waited for her reply.

"Of course not."

"Why not?"

She rolled her eyes and found that grading papers was sounding more and more appealing by the second. "Isn't it obvious. There's other stuff to worry about. Now keep your voice down before he hears, would ya?" She was so tempted to punch him as a low chuckle escaped him. "I'm glad you're finding enjoyment out of this…" she mumbled, using her elbow to nudge him, trying to urge him to get up.

"It's three words, barely takes a second," he pressed before leaning in close to whisper in her ear. She shuddered as the phrase, 'I like you,' brushed over her ear.

"Will you cut it out!?" she demanded, on her feet in the next instant. She hadn't realized how loud she had gotten until the bustling in the room silenced and all fell still. She scanned the room, the heat rising to her face at an inconceivable rate. "S-Sorry, everyone," she apologized nervously and waved her hand. "Everything's alright...just...pretend that didn't happen."

Still blushing, the female hero seated herself once again and made sure to raise a hand to hide her features from any prying eyes.

"Smooth."

"Shut up, this is your fault. Don't you have things to do, anyway? I know you're not done with your own grading, I can see the stack from here," she mumbled, the words tumbled out. Even so, the man didn't make any move to head back.

She just wanted to hide under her desk at this point, though, at least it couldn't have gotten much worse than it was now. "He likes black licorice," Hizashi muttered lowly after some time. For a change, his tone was serious, all teasing and jest gone from the words.

"What?"

"He likes black licorice. I mean, if you plan on getting him anything, that is. It'd be a good choice." She blinked a few times, the genuine advice was catching her slightly off guard, but she just nodded, taking the information and storing it away. Still, it would be odd to just get him that and hand it over so out of the blue. That wouldn't work on its own and she knew it. But, she thanked him anyway, and he left her with one more drop of wisdom before strolling back to his desk. "He's not as out of your league as you may think." With that and a wink, he was gone.

She offered a small wave and placed the side of her head down on her desk, the coolness of it helped alleviate some of the fluster. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She didn't ponder it much now, she'd worry more about it later. For now, all she really wanted to do was finish up and go home and pretend most of this day had never happened.

Shoving all other emotions down, and praying they'd stay down this time, she forced herself to continue with her work. Luckily she didn't have too much longer to go. Just as she was on her last paper, she allowed herself to glance up once more. She had been going good so far, she could afford a quick look...she'd earned it. But, this time, her brows knit to find Shota with his head down, and she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not. When he let out a small and stifled cough though, her wondering was answered.

Then he lifted his head, and there was no way she could have missed the slight red hue to his features. Was he sick or something? How had she not noticed earlier, or was he just that good at hiding things. Whatever was up, it was pretty plain to see. Instantly, her concern kicked in and the need to check on him was almost too much to resist. However, she never got the chance before he pushed himself to his feet without a word. The man took a few seconds, and she could only assume it was to make sure he was steady enough and began to make his way to the door.

She cut her eyes back to his desk to see that he was only about halfway through with his own stack. Nemuri could only watch out of the corner of her eye as she watched him leave and fought the temptation to go after him and make sure everything was alright.

No, that would be too weird, she had to wait at least a little while. She anxiously rubbed the back of her neck as the time ticked by and wondered to herself when an appropriate time would be. Should she wait a few more minutes? A few hours? At what point would it not be considered awkward and intrusive?

Biting her tongue, Nemuri managed to hunker down for just a little while longer, but soon enough it got to be too much and she couldn't shake the nagging in the back of her mind that berated her to make sure everything was alright. They all knew how stubborn the man was; he could literally be dying and not utter a single complaint. That settled it, as soon as she was completed with this last paper, she was heading over, and there was no convincing herself otherwise. If she kept doing that, she'd never make it over there.

Finally, she could leave at last, but not a moment after one foot got out that door did she pause again and mull it all over. She couldn't just drop by for no reason. What if she was wrong about all this, then it would just be a random visit out of the blue that would just make things weirder than they already were. No, she had an idea, one that was casual and easily explained. She took a deep inhale; this would work out, as long as she didn't blow it, that was.

The entire time she was out, she couldn't keep outward thoughts at bay, all of the what-ifs assaulted her mind one after another, she just couldn't catch a break from them. The more they warned her about how much of a terrible idea this was, the more she wondered if they were really right. They were taught to listen to their instincts, after all and everything about this plan was screaming bad idea.

Her walk into town seemed to go by in a flash, her mind too preoccupied with other things. She had to make this quick, just grab a few things and that was it. It didn't matter what it was, she just had to have something on her person. Anything so it appeared to be less suspicious. Keeping that in mind, she strolled into the nearest convenience store and just grabbed whatever she saw, she was hardly paying attention to what her hands snatched up.

Stuff in arms, she covered the few feet to the counter and dumped her items onto the counter. As she stood there, she glanced over to the candy and other goods on display. Her gaze instantly snapped to the rack containing some black licorice and a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"I'd like a few of these, as well," she said, grabbing a handful and throwing them onto the pile. The cashier quickly rang up all her items and handed them over. Finally, she could really be on her way now. Still, she didn't drop by often. Meaning, that no matter what she did or brought, it was going to be out of the blue. Bag gripped tightly in one hand, she shook all doubt from her and trudged on. This wasn't like her, and he'd be able to tell, she should just own up to what was going on and wear it on her sleeve with pride. But, this wasn't like anything else, and that was the problem.

Every step she took, and every minute that went by brought her closer to Shota's place, and closer to what she was convinced was her doom. Her pulse quickened and her chest tightened. She was almost there, just a few more minutes. She could already make out the apartment. Nemuri took a few deep breaths to calm herself before the inevitable. Seriously, she couldn't help but wonder how she had made it this far without having a nervous breakdown yet. With having to work with him all these years, it was truly a wonder. Now, she really wished she had just said something in high school, back when it wouldn't have been so awkward.

She paused as she approached the door and stood there for a solid thirty seconds of just trying to mentally prepare herself for this. When was the last time she had come over when it was just her? She couldn't remember...it's been too long though.

Ridding herself of her nerves and putting on the best confident mask she could, the hero raised her left hand and tapped her knuckles lightly against the door. Each tap echoed perfectly with her heart. A few knocks...and nothing. This was only making it worse, this gave her the chance to turn away and just head hom, but she stuck it through and knocked once more, this time harder than the first.

Success.

On the other side, she could make out the shuffling of feet, sluggish, hesitant. Almost like they were being dragged across the floor. He obviously wasn't thrilled about having company…

"I'm coming," he called out, the voice came across as lazy...tired and unwilling to carry through with that promise of letting the visitor in. She waited patiently, apprehensively as the steps drew closer. After a few seconds, he was just on the other side, and she internally flinched as the door creaked open and the man on the other side peered through the crack with a single, half-lidded eye.

He seemed to be caught off guard when recognition set in, for his next response was reluctant once he scanned the woman up and down. "Oh…" he muttered, trying not to come across as too dismissive. "What are you doing here?" he questioned, glancing around her to see if she was alone or not.

In response, she lifted the bag and gave a one-armed shrug. "I was just in town...and nearby, so I thought I'd drop by," she lied. "It's been a while, so I figured why the hell not." Trying to appear like nothing was up, she wanted to walk in, but the other made no move to step aside to allow her access.

"Uh...sorry," he mumbled, free hand moving to scratch the back of his head. The hoarseness in his voice was easily picked up on. "Now really isn't a good time. Maybe...another time?" he offered, glancing away when the sun rays filtering in were almost too much to bear.

Before she had the chance to even reply, the door was closing. Now, her emotions flipped from being anxious and uncertain to worried and caring. Instantly, without her permission, her foot slipped in just before it could close and held it open. "Hold up!" she blurted, left hand slipping through as well. In one fluid motion, she was able to swing the door the rest of the way open as she yanked it from his grasp. "You're sick, aren't you?" she accused. He didn't need to reply though, it was painfully obvious. If not for the slight fever-induced redness, then the way he was slumped against the doorframe. It was like he wasn't even trying to hide it anymore.

Shota didn't answer, and that right there was what really cued her in. Now that it was settled, she didn't care what he said, morally, she couldn't leave him alone. Against what he wished, she welcomed herself in, and to her surprise, there was little to no complaint. Either he really wasn't feeling well, or he just stopped caring. It was difficult - impossible - to say which it was.

He just stood there and let it happen. But, once she was already in, he knew there was no way he was going to easily get rid of her. It was easier to let her do her thing and have her way, and this was no exception. No matter how much he really wanted to be alone.

"Make yourself at home," he sighed, making a beeline right for the couch where he dropped himself, unceremoniously, onto.

This earned him a bit of look of disapproval. "What are you doing?" she asked as she dropped her bag on the coffee table and crossed her arms.

"What's it look like?" he shot back, making himself comfortable. "I'm trying to relax."

That was the wrong answer. "Don't you think you should be going to bed?" she asked, nodding her head towards his bedroom. "Honestly, maybe it's a good thing I came over, you can't even take care of yourself.

At that, he shrugged and didn't budge. "I dunno, I think I've been doing a pretty damn good job for the better of ten years here. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

Nemuri huffed out a heavy breath. With the both of them as stubborn as they were, this wasn't going to get either of them anywhere. "Whatever, have it your way," she breathed out before dropping on the couch next to him. At least he was kind enough to move his feet. That or he just didn't want her sitting on them. Either way, it was appreciated.

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" she asked after a time.

Confused, Shota arched an eyebrow. "Tell anyone what?" he pressed. One hand wandered in order to comb a few hairs from his face, a few strands stuck, however, to his dampened forehead.

"That you were sick," she clarified, as if it should have been obvious. Well, it was obvious. From the look of him now, it wasn't something that just sprung up and he was likely dealing with it the whole day. Of course, leave it to him not to call in sick or anything. The only way to make him miss a day is if he physically couldn't make it in. Even then, it wouldn't prevent him from trying.

"Because it's not anything to get worked up about," he brushed off. The moment those words were out of his mouth, he felt the back of a hand press against the side of his face. Too taken aback from the touch, he didn't react in time, but he made sure to glare at the woman with an offended and curious look.

"Bullshit."

He didn't say anything, but he did look away and release a heavy breath at her reaction. She was clearly overreacting to all this. It was a cold, they all got them. "It's nothing to blow out of proportion."

"Are you kidding me?" she asked in disbelief. "Shota, you have a fever," she pointed out, needlessly. As if he didn't know that for himself. "Wait here, I'm going to go get you a glass of water and a cold compress...you do have one, right?"

"In the bathroom."

It was easier to go along with it, it would be less headache for the both of them. And, honestly, he was sure he could deal with much more throbbing in the back of his skull. As she wandered off, his gaze naturally drifted back to her bag on the table. Then they narrowed at the few strips of black that poked out from the bunch. Naturally, he leaned forward and plucked it out before tearing the paper off.

Within a few more minutes, the woman returned, both glass of water and compress in hand. Upon stepping back in, she halted and glanced from him to her bag. "Did you go through my stuff?" she asked, staring at the licorice sticking out from his mouth. Again, he shrugged, and she was beginning to believe this was just how he mostly communicated with people.

"What, you and I both know you don't like the stuff."

"It could have been for someone else."

"Neither of us know anyone else that likes it. ...We know the same people," he summed up. "I mean, if you want it back…"

Rolling her eyes, Nemuri dropped back into her spot. "Nah, they're for you. They were there at the counter, so I just grabbed them." As he nibbled away, she handed the water over, which he accepted, and then she handed the compress over. Honestly, she was sure he'd rather do that part himself. That, and she didn't want to intrude too much. Though, she supposed it was already too late for that when she invited herself in and all that. To be fair, he didn't appear to mind too much.

For a while, they sat and lied there in relative silence, nothing but the male hero's occasional cough and sniffle. Unable to tolerate the quiet for too much longer, Nemuri seeked out the remote and switched the TV on, needing some sort of noise to fill the room before she went insane.

Flipping it on, her face dropped at the content that was playing and she scanned over until she was gazing at the other with a questioning expression. Of course, this didn't phase him and he looked right back at her. "What?"

"Cartoons? Really?"

"Again, what?" he asked, not seeing an issue with this. "We all have our guilty pleasures. Don't think I don't know yours miss 'drawer full of hot sauce packets.'"

She sat straighter with the mention of that. "I don't know what you're talking about. I can't help it that they always give more packets than what you need. And I'm sure as hell not gonna throw them away and waste them."

"Is that why you drink them?"

Instantly, she shut her mouth and leaned back to cross her arms over her chest. It wasn't that weird. There were people that ate ketchup and mustard by themselves. So, this wasn't much different. In fact, to her, it made more sense than those did. "Just shut up and watch your kid shows."

"Gladly."

The man was impossible. Stubborn, set in his ways, just oh so difficult to work with. And yet...there was something about him that was oddly charming and desirable. She didn't know how long they were sitting there, but for a time the man hadn't uttered a single word. Growing more concerned, she finally looked over and her mouth straightened out.

He was asleep.

That didn't take long at all. Smiling to herself, she switched the TV off; there was no reason to just leave him where he was. But, she didn't want to wake him either, not when he actually needed the sleep for once. However, this wasn't an appropriate place to catch some shuteye. Mind made up, she carefully got to her feet and strolled over to stand next to the man and gave him a gentle shake. At the slightest touch, his eyes cracked open.

Groggily, he glanced at her and blinked heavily a couple times. Just from peering into those dark orbs, she could tell he wasn't all there. The fever was making him slightly out of it, it seemed.

"Come on," she encouraged, "we should get you into bed. She grabbed his arm and gave it a few tugs until he finally complied. His moving was slow, but eventually she had him on his feet as he clung to her arm to keep steady. One step at a time, one tedious foot after another, and they were at his bed and he practically collapsed onto the mattress, on top of covers and all.

"Now, you can't sleep like that," she sighed, trying her best to help him get under the comforter. It was quite the process, and this time there was a bit of protests. With determination she got him situated. That was more of a workout than she had intended for it to be. They were right when they said sickness was enough to reduce a man to a child.

Shota lied there, eyes barely open as he stared the woman down. His gaze was hazy, like he was barely making her out. He really was worse off than he was making it out to be. Not that Nemuri was surprised, she would be more concerned if he were to actually admit to feeling like crap.

Just as she went to turn away, the sound of his croaky voice reeled her back in. "Wait," he called out, the sound was almost begging. She turned back around to find a hand flailing in the air, reaching out for her. Without knowing what else to do, and honestly a bit confused, she did the first thing that came to mind and grabbed hold of it. Instantly, he grabbed hold of it and allowed his eyes to slide shut as the touch made him more at ease.

"You're so pretty," he mumbled, face turned just enough for the compliment to muffle into the pillow. She twitched...did she really hear that right?

"What?"

He turned enough for one eye to peek up at her. "I said you're so pretty," he repeated. "Don't think I ever told you, but it's true." It was official...he was delirious. If he had any idea what he was saying right now. "Has anyone ever told you that?" he asked.

She looked right at him, paying particular attention to the color of his cheeks. She knew this was just the fever talking, but still, it caused her own features to flare up with embarrassment. "You don't know what you're saying...go to sleep," she instructed. This better not have been a joke either, or she swore…

"Nah...I know," he mumbled, turning his head back away. "We should go out sometime...for coffee or something. I don't know, just out," he sighed. 'Maybe this was what Hizashi meant by 'not out of your league',' she thought to herself.

He was struggling to stay in the waking world at this point. She wondered if he would even remember any of this when he woke up tomorrow. On one hand she hoped he did, but on the other, it may have made it awkward for the both of them.

She had to reply though, she couldn't just stand there like an idiot. Opening her mouth slowly, she immediately closed it right back when the soft snores reached her ears. She released a breath of relief. Well, that saved her for the time being at least. But, glancing down, his hand was still grasping her own. Despite being asleep, there was no extra slack given, like he was still aware of it being there even in his sleep.

It was...cute, if she had to choose the right word for it. She never would have imagined him being the clingy type when sick, or the needy kind of person. It was so drastically different from his normal everyday self. Honestly, she wished she could see this side of him more often. Minus the sick part, of course.

Regardless of how much she wanted to, she couldn't stay standing there forever. Against her will, she pulled her hand out of his and placed it next to his side so it wasn't hanging off. Now, she had no idea what she was supposed to do. Should she head home? Stay here and make sure he doesn't need anything else when he wakes up?

Maybe sticking around for a bit wouldn't be the worst idea. After all, he still didn't look well enough to be here alone, and she didn't want to bother anyone else and ask them to come over. She cut her eyes over to the chair in the corner and decided that would just have to be her spot for the night. That way, if he was in need of anything, she wouldn't be too far.

For a while, she sat in silence, trying not to be too creepy as she watched on, legs crossed. And for a while...nothing happened, he just slept peacefully like one would expect. She didn't know how much more time had passed, but at some point she couldn't fight the sleep that was starting to tug at her with everything it had. Giving in, the hero drew up her legs and made herself as cozy as one could in a chair such as that one. Within moments, she followed the other's example.

* * *

Shota groaned, his body protesting everything that came with waking up, like waking up itself. His head was killing him and his throat was painfull dry. With those combined with a few other displeasurable things, he dared not open his eyes just yet. With them closed, the light was already filtering through, blinding him through closed lids.

He was tempted to go back to sleep, and was even preparing to, but something else beckoned him to stay awake...the breathing of another. This both terrified him and puzzled him initially, but soon after most of the memories from the night prior began to flood back. That and a confirming and quick glance put his heart at ease. There was Nemuri, head leaning to the side as her face held a peaceful expression. But, there was one thing bothering him...he didn't recall going to bed.

Confused and feeling completely out of place, the man slowly sat up with squinted eyes. It took a moment longer than normal, but soon enough his gaze was able to adjust to the brightness. It wasn't comfortable by any means, but it was good enough not to be too much of a bother. Needing answers and explanations, the hero didn't have the patience to wait for her to wake up. Instead, he cleared his throat quite loudly and ignored the way it irritated him slightly.

With that small sound alone, the woman shifted into wakefulness, and Shota's gaze widened slightly. Even just having woken up, she still looked as beautiful as ever. Not that that should have come as a shock, but most would kill for something like that.

"Hey," she greeted, tone slightly rough as she stretched her arms over her head. "Awake already I see."

He just shrugged as he looked to the window. "What time is it?" he asked suspiciously. It was far too bright to still be early morning.

Realizing that she didn't know herself, Nemuri retrieved her phone after allowing her eyes time to adjust as well. "It's almost noon," she informed, free hand rubbing at her eyes. Somehow, it felt as though she barely got an hour. Shota only nodded his head and ran a hand down his still slightly pale features. He would have preferred if he hadn't slept this late, but what was there to do about it?

For a moment, neither of them spoke a word, Nemuri feared and prayed that he didn't recall what all was said the night before. But, if he did, then perhaps it was or the best. All the while, she stared at him, searching for any signs of recollection. Then, slowly, he turned back towards her and his brows knit together. From the look alone, her stomach dropped and she forced the lump in her throat down.

"W-What did I say last night?" he questioned, eyes slightly widened as he gazed back at her expectantly.

Should she answer that? Should she not? He obviously knew something. Maye he really did remember, or it was foggy and he needed clarification. "You, uh...you may have asked me out on a date," she mumbled, the words were blurted out. To her surprise, he didn't appear to be too taken aback by that or phased. Almost like he wasn't the least bit surprised by the outcome. But, he did look away, and she wasn't sure if it was the fever or what, but she could make out a slight pink tint.

Sighing, she straightened up. "You know, I have a bit of a confession." This managed to pull him back on as he hummed for her to continue. "Last night...I wasn't actually passing by, I just needed an excuse to drop by," she admitted, feeling her own face heating up drastically.

"Yeah, I know."

"What do you mean, 'you know'!?" she shot back.

Shota shrugged one shoulder. "You live in the opposite direction, remember? It's not possible you were, 'just passing through.'" Her mouth opened and closed a few times in futile attempts to argue, but she came up with nothing. Well, there was no getting out of this, it was too late. He already knew.

"So…" he continued, right hand drifting to rest on the back of his neck as he lowered his head, "did you ever give me an answer?"

He really did mean it then, and it wasn't just delirious ramblings. Though, she should have known, since when did he ever utter a single untruthful thing. Well, aside from those few times. "Uhhh," she was making a fool of herself the way she was just staring blankly at the man. "I mean...yeah, of course," she replied. "I would like that a lot."

Nemuri let out a heavy breath, one that she felt as though was stuck in the center of her chest since the day before. Maybe she really was overreacting to all of those, she had to have been. She should have just come out with it ages ago. It sure would have spared her a hell of a lot of heartache, that's for sure.

"Glad to hear," he breathed out, as if relieved. "But that will have to wait until later," he mumbled as he lied back down and pulled the covers back up. "I'm tired."

Nemuri blinked a few times and stuttered a small "O-Of course. Take your time, I promise, I'm not going anywhere."


End file.
